Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Catholic stupidity runs rampant!

I read this with coffee burning my inner cheek, just as well that it was hot as I might have spat it in fury at my screen. From the Canadian press. Hat tip Pharyngula.

"Catholic school board in Halton may ban HPV vaccination

The Canadian PressHalton's Catholic school board could become the first in Ontario to ban public health nurses from administering the HPV vaccine to young girls at local schools.

The human papilloma virus vaccine is offered to Grade 8 girls in Ontario as a way to prevent cervical cancer.

Trustees in the region west of Toronto will debate Tuesday night whether to ban Halton's public health unit from offering or administering the vaccine in Catholic schools.

The ban could also prevent the health unit from counselling or giving advice on the vaccine to any student on board property.

A recent letter from the conference of bishops encourages Catholic boards to remember that the virus is sexually transmitted, and that sex is "appropriate only" through marriage."First of all there is no guarantee that having a ring on your finger and a husband rules you out form cervical cancer, so this numb skull notion is outrageous. Secondly the church should pull their heads out of their arses and realise that people have sex and that they are going to continue to do so until the end of time and that when 'God' said 'go forth and multiply, he didn't mention 'and don't forget to get married first.'

The HPV is a vaccine that can prevent women (huh, maybe that's the problem right there, the Catholic church has long had a history of not giving a shit about us) from catching a disease. Cancer is a nasty rotten way to die and if anything can help prevent it then I say have at it. Denying a whole section of people from getting a life saving vaccine on the grounds that you can only have sex when you agree to a man made contract is one of the reason the Catholic church is floundering these days. Health should always trump hocus pocus.And frankly if this is the type of crap it worries about the sooner the catholic church dies out the better.

18 Comments:

No wonder they're keeping a tight grip on (publicly funded) education here. They'll be wanting to stop this epidemic of vaccination reaching Ireland. Time to nationalise all property used for educational purposes.

I think they just yearn for the good old days when no-one questioned their authority. The worst thing is that they are not stupid people, which means that they are intentionally callous, god-bothering cunts.

It's the inflexibility that pisses me off the most. Times change, medicine makes leaps. They want to retain power fine, I understand that. But to openly risk a generation of children's future health on the basis of nothing more that moralising is disgusting.And another thing, while I'm at it. The Little Goth Kid must attend religious class, even though she has just started her two year leaving cert course. Now as far as I know religion does not come up in the Leaving. So does anyone else find this sort of thing ridiculous?

Hence my 'nationalise all property' remark. And if they start whining they should be reminded a) they came by most of that property through public subscription or donation; and b) they owe the country for what they allowed their clerical officials/employees do to Irish children.

A recent OECD study showed more time was spent on religious education in Ireland than any where else. It's a sham, like denominational control of virtually the whole system.

You'd have to buy back the property and sack the boards and that would be very bloody costly. I don't see the government ever doing that, nor the church relinquishing their hold on the youth.Has Drumette started her leaving cert course too?

Jesus wept! That is shocking, shocking stuff. I thought here on the old sod would be one of the few places they'd try anything like that. Although remember a while back (and I don't claim to have this totally right) there was a bit of controversy when the Mater didn't make a particular drug available to FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS - because there was a warning that there would in all likelihood cause foetal damage, and that birth control should be practised. And, you guessed it, all down to their "Catholic ethos". WHAT?!

So, instead of letting the poor unfortunate cancer patients have the drug, they decide on the basis that in case some of them are thinking of having sex without birth control, to deny it to all patients? WTF?? I mean I have no stats; but surely the numbers would have to be very low: 1. has cancer, 2. would never have practised birth control unless their cancer drug info told them to, or 3. was pregnant before the diagnosis, and went ahead with the cancer drug, and had an abortion.

Another underline (as if we needed one) that women are 25th class (never mind 2nd) citizens to 'Mother' church. And as far as I recall, there's a fair sprinkling of 'religious' on the board. Making decisions about sacrificing patient's right to life. I'd rather take my chances and pay my VHI and go to a totally for-profit hospital ... but what about people who can't afford to do that? That's what REALLY gets me about that story.

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About Me

I'm a bouncy, opinionated, messy haired marathon running (!) bibliophile. I wear high heels and have delightful ankles. I'm a devoted drinker. I want a French Bulldog puppy whom I shall call Batman and dress in capes on occasion.
I would also like a pug, whom I shall name Mister Woo. He can remain capeless, but I will make sure he wears a diamante collar at all times.
Both dogs will submit to repeated snorgling and high pitched squeals that only a dolphin would normally tolerate.
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